Arnold Fruchtenbaum
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Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum (Th.M - Dallas, Ph.D - New York University) is the Jewish founder and director of Ariel Ministries, an organization which prioritizes evangelization and discipleship of Jewish people in the effort to bring them to the view that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Jewish Messiah. He is ranked by some as a leading Jewish biblical scholar.
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[edit] Biography
Fruchtenbaum was born in 1943 in Siberia, Russia. The family escaped to Germany in 1947 after his father had been accused of being a Nazi spy. He was raised and taught as an Orthodox Jew by his father before emigrating to the United States in 1951. At age 13, Fruchtenbaum came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. His father opposed this and forbade him to read the Bible, attend meetings, or otherwise meet with Messianic Jews. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1958.
After being forced to leave the family home, in 1962 he began college education at Shelton College in New Jersey. He moved to Cedarville College in Ohio, where he graduated with a BA degree in Hebrew and Greek in 1966. He then moved to Israel, where he studied archeology, ancient history, historical geography, and Hebrew at the American Institute of Holy Land Studies and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. During this time, he witnessed the Six Day War in 1967.
Later that year, Fruchtenbaum returned to the U.S. and entered Dallas Theological Seminary to continue his studies in Hebrew and the Old Testament. He also began working as a missionary with American Board of Missions to the Jews (ABMJ; today, Chosen People Ministries). Fruchtenbaum was married in 1968 to Mary Ann Morrow, a graduate of Gordon College in Massachusetts. Three years later (1971), he graduated with a Master of Theology degree from Dallas. He and his wife then moved to Israel and settled in Jerusalem to work with the local church and to train young Israeli believers for Christian service. Their work there caused such a stir that the authorities eventually made their stay untenable[citation needed] and they were forced to leave Israel in 1973.
During the two years following, Fruchtenbaum served as a minister and as editor of "The Chosen People," a monthly publication . This was with ABMJ in New Jersey. Then in 1976 he joined the staff of The Christian Jew Foundation as associate director. At this time he struggled with the issue of discipleship and perceived a need for biblical and theological training for Jewish Messianic believers. This was discussed with other leaders and this turned into the ideas for Ariel Ministries. Late 1977, Ariel Ministries was established. Fruchtenbaum is the founding director of Ariel Ministries and continues in this role and as a speaker at conferences.
He travels internationally throughout Europe, Israel and the United States. This has given him a broad knowledge of the messianic movement. He has completed his doctoral dissertation, Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology, which took 13 years of research. This earned him his Ph.D. at New York University in 1989. Dr. Fruchtenbaum has published a number of books.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Individual titles
- Jewishness and Hebrew Christianity - (1971)
- Hebrew Christianity: Its Theology, History & Philosophy - (1974)
- Jesus was a Jew - (1981)
- Biblical Lovemaking: A Study of the Song of Solomon - (1983)
- Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events - (1983)
- Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology - (1989)
- A Passover Haggadah For Jewish Believers - (1991)
- Messianic Christology - (1998)
- A Study Guide Of Israel: Historical & Geographical - (1999)
- Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events (Revised Edition) - (2003)
- How Jewish Is Christianity? (with others) - (2003)
[edit] Systematic theology correspondence courses
- Bibliology: The Doctrine of the Scriptures
- Theology Proper: The Doctrine of God
- Christology: The Doctrine of the Son
- Pneumatology: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
- Soteriology: The Doctrine of Salvation
- Anthrolology: The Doctrine of Man & Hamatiology: The Doctrine of Sin
- Angelology: The Doctrine of Angels (Elect and Fallen)
[edit] Bible commentary series
- The Messianic Jewish Epistles - Hebrews, James, I Peter, II Peter, Jude - (2004)
[edit] References
- Biography of Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum. Ariel Ministries Website. Retrieved on August 8, 2006.
